Cloud marketplaces have been growing in popularity in recent years as users seek the convenience of them. With the growth in AI, how they work is changing – and should mean their popularity grows further.
Cloud marketplaces have been an increasingly influential part of the channel landscape in recent years, with customers and resellers enjoying the benefits they bring of simplifying purchasing.
Paul McCabe, chief digital and information officer at Giacom, says that cloud adoption continues to rise across SMBs and mid-market businesses. “This is driven by digital transformation and government ‘Cloud First’ initiatives,” he says. “Marketplaces have become the default model for accessing services – not only because they simplify procurement, but because they enable scalable, recurring-revenue models through automation, breadth of offering, and reseller enablement.”
The appetite for ‘X-as-a-service’ models is also driving demand for cloud marketplaces, says Mark Appleton, chief customer officer at ALSO Cloud UK. “From ALSO’s perspective, we’re seeing a consistent increase in resellers and MSPs looking for cloud marketplaces to efficiently procure, manage and offer cloud solutions to their market share. While the market is mature, there is still space for developed platforms to expand, especially given the ongoing importance of cybersecurity and AI solutions.”
Anthony Dobson, regional director, sales for Arrow’s enterprise computing solutions business in the UK&I, adds that demand is growing across the channel as end customers prioritise greater agility, streamlined billing, and access to a broader portfolio of cloud services to drive their businesses forward.
“What’s changing is how resellers interact with these platforms,” he says. “AI’s is at the heart of this shift, and we’ve seen this momentum firsthand through ArrowSphere Cloud, our marketplace designed specifically to help our channel partners manage complexity, reduce time-to-value, and unlock growth.”
AI-driven change
The rise of AI is set to see cloud marketplaces grow even faster in the UK. Cheney Hamilton, lead analyst, Fusion Work™ at Bloor Research Group, says the rise of AI-powered cloud marketplaces is more than a tech trend. “It’s a quiet revolution reshaping how businesses operate, buy, and grow,” she says. “What excites me most isn’t the software, it’s the signal it sends about the future of work.
“Cloud marketplaces have become the infrastructure for this transformation. AI within these platforms personalises procurement, streamlines compliance and allows resellers to deliver curated, intelligent solutions.”
Claire Denton, director of product management at OpenText, agrees. “AI is rapidly reshaping the how cloud marketplaces are built, operated and monetised,” she says. “AI enhances product discovery by analysing user behaviour, purchasing history, plus contextual data to deliver intelligent recommendations.
“AI is streamlining procurement with automated workflows that match enterprise requirements to suitable offerings and support auto-configuration of trials and sandboxes, auto-generation of deployment scripts or infrastructure templates etc.
“Also, AI models enable real-time pricing optimisation, forecasting usage patterns, and suggesting tier or bundle upgrades based on predicted demand. “It also helps automate compliance checks, monitor for policy violation, flag anomalies in transactions.”
Chelsea Hopkins, social media and PR manager at Fasthosts, adds that AI is helping to transform cloud marketplaces from software distribution platforms to more comprehensive hubs. “Many major cloud providers are already significantly expanding their AI offerings, hosting a multitude of AI-centred products and services,” she says. “The expansion of the use of AI in cloud marketplaces significantly diversifies offerings and equally stays ‘with the times’ to allow businesses to align advancements with their already developing integration of AI.”
Benefits of AI
There are many benefits of AI for cloud marketplaces. “AI’s impact on data analysis is undeniably beneficial, but the benefits of AI for cloud marketplaces transcend data analysis,” says Chelsea. “While we cannot rely on AI for everything, nor can we trust it in all scenarios as an accurate source, AI can be used as a very useful tool for scaling up a business and providing cost-effective and efficient insights.
“AI enables businesses to obtain actionable insights much faster and rapid processing of vast amounts of data, meaning patterns and trends can be identified and actioned much more effectively. AI’s predictive analytics capabilities can also predict potential system issues, so they can be quashed before they escalate. AI can proactively address maintenance needs by identifying anomalies in systems – reducing downtime and ensuring continuous service availability.”
Mark adds that AI-boosted technologies use data analysis as a foundation to enable more intelligent automation, personalised experience and strategic foresight across the cloud marketplace ecosystem. “This allows cloud marketplaces to fully support their partners in staying competitive with their offerings, in a more efficient and cost-effective way,” he says. “This means an improved customer experience within the cloud, and AI itself acting as a key component of new solutions offered, such as AI-as-a-Service, machine learning platforms, and generative AI tools.”
AI also powers localisation and pricing adaptation, enabling marketplaces to expand globally without added complexity, Claire adds. “The result? A dynamic, intelligent platform that’s no longer just a procurement channel – it’s a strategic engine for growth, efficiency and continuous innovation across the cloud ecosystem,” she says.
Paul adds that data is the foundation. “But AI’s potential goes further: bundling services, co-selling, workflow automation,” he says. “Still, it’s not just about features. As one MSP told me, ‘Everyone has a marketplace – what matters is how it works for my business.’”
Harnessing cloud marketplaces
With AI revolutionising cloud marketplaces, it means there are benefits – and opportunities – for resellers. “Resellers can harness cloud marketplaces to better serve their customers through personalisation, creating tailored solutions to their customer base,” says Chelsea. “They can pair this personalisation with support and integration – tailoring their offerings exactly to the customer’s needs.
“Resellers can tailor their pricing to customers, along with terms and conditions, and create bundles that holistically cover their requirements. It can be very useful to create effective solutions that are uniquely tailored to businesses and individuals’ needs.
“Resellers can leverage cloud marketplaces by amalgamating their own service offerings with the cloud marketplace, creating more comprehensive solutions for their customers [as they] can bundle their offerings to address a broader spectrum of customer needs, and simplify procurement for their clients – enhancing their experience.”
Mark adds that resellers can offer customers a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform with cloud solutions tailored to their needs. “This can include bundling services with existing offerings, setting custom pricing and submitting offers instantly, all while benefiting from automated subscription management and license renewals,” he says.
“Many resellers should also look to capitalise on white-label capabilities, strengthening their own customer loyalty by rebranding the marketplace under their company brand. Comprehensive marketplaces often provide training, marketing services, and expert support, empowering resellers to confidently sell and support more complex cloud solutions with greater ease.”
Claire says that by shifting to these platforms, resellers can offer faster, frictionless procurement, flexible pricing and tailored solution bundles, “all aligned with how today’s enterprises want to buy,” she says. “Marketplaces also unlock co-sell opportunities with ISVs and hyperscalers, expanding reach and deal size. With built-in tools for compliance, billing, and localisation, resellers can scale globally without heavy overhead. More than just a channel, the marketplace becomes a launchpad for value-added services, helping resellers evolve into trusted advisors who guide customers through cloud adoption, optimisation and innovation.”
Paul adds that the fastest-growing partners are building standardised per-user offerings and using our platform and tools to manage their full commercial lifecycle. “We support them with the tech and the people to drive growth.”
Future
With AI developing so rapidly, it is likely to fuel the continued growth of cloud marketplaces. Claire says that cloud marketplaces are set to evolve from digital catalogues into intelligent, full-stack commerce platforms. “Expect AI to drive everything from personalised recommendations to dynamic pricing and auto-generated listings. Marketplaces will support the entire software lifecycle – from trial to deployment, billing, and renewal – deeply integrating with enterprise workflows,” she says. “Ultimately, cloud marketplaces won’t just be where software is bought – they’ll be where digital strategy is shaped, scaled and delivered.”
Anthony adds that cloud marketplaces are no longer just transactional platforms. “They are becoming game-changing strategic enablers,” he says. “They are evolving into an intelligent ecosystem, with AI at the core, delivering insights to inform decision-making, and a smarter, more predictive experience that helps channel partners to lead on delivering value.”
Paul adds that marketplaces are evolving into business operating platforms – tightly integrated, persona-led, and AI-augmented. “The future isn’t just ‘more SKUs’ – it’s better orchestration, simpler workflows, and smarter outcomes,” he says. “We see marketplaces as part of a wider system that enables partners to run, grow, and differentiate – not just transact.”
Mark expects to see greater emphasis on flexible, usage-based pricing models. “This allows customers to pay only for what they consume to cut down on business costs,” he says. “Cloud marketplaces will become even more intelligent, interconnected, and indispensable hubs for the entire cloud lifecycle, driving ESG monitoring and business growth for businesses while being a staple source of skills training for MSPs and SMBs alike.”
